Manufacturing method of golf iron head by combining different metal materials

ABSTRACT

A manufacturing method of a golf iron head by combining different metal materials includes a pre-forming step, an engaging step, a pre-heating step and a forming step. A head body and a strike plate are provided in the pre-forming step to combine with each other. The strike plate is engaged with the head body in the engaging step, and the strike plate and the head body are pre-heated together. The forming step combines the head body and the strike plate as a one-piece iron head without clearances. Because the materials of the head body and strike plate are different and the connection force between the head body and the strike plate is increased, the mechanical properties and striking performance are improved and noises upon striking are eliminated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a golf club head, especially to a manufacturing method of a golf iron head by combining different metal materials.

2. Description of Related Art

A conventional golf iron head is mostly manufactured by forging or casting with one single steel material. Because the material properties lack diversity, the hitting performance of the club head is limited. Therefore, to enhance the hitting performance, the manufacture method of the conventional golf club head mostly adopts different metal materials.

A conventional golf iron head manufacturing method is disclosed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In a pre-forming step, an iron head body 30 is made by a casting process and a strike plate 40 is made by a metal pressing process. The materials of the iron head body 30 and the strike plate 40 are different. A plate recess 31 is formed in the iron head body 30. A flange 32 is formed around the plate recess 31. An annular recess 41 is formed around a periphery of the strike plate 40.

In a forming step, the strike plate 40 is placed in the plate recess 31 of the iron head body 30. The flange 32 is blended toward the annular recess 41 by stamping press or hydraulic press, and the strike plate 40 and the iron head body 30 are fixed together and are formed as an iron head.

However, the strike plate 40 and the iron head body 30 are not really integrated as a one-piece structure, and a clearance still exists between the strike plate 40 and the iron head body 30, which makes the combination force of the strike plate 40 and the iron head body 30 insufficient and easily generates noises upon striking. After the iron head hits a ball for several times, the strike plate 40 may fall down from the iron head body 30 or be loosened from the iron head body 30, and the hitting performance of the iron head will get worse and noises are generated upon striking.

To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional manufacture method, the present invention provides a manufacturing method of a golf iron head to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a golf iron head comprising a pre-forming step, an engaging step, a pre-heating step and a forming step.

A head body and a strike plate are provided in the pre-forming step to combine together. The strike plate is engaged with the head body in the engaging step, and the strike plate and the head body are pre-heated together. The forming step combines the head body and the strike plate as a one-piece iron head without clearances.

Because the materials of the head body and strike plate are different and the connection force between the head body and the strike plate is increased, the mechanical properties and hitting performance are improved and noises upon hitting are eliminated.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a manufacturing method of a golf iron head in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a head body made by the method in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional bottom view of the head body in FIG. 2 with a strike plate;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional bottom view of the head body with the strike plate in FIG. 2 engaged with each other by an engaging step;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional bottom view of a golf iron head made by the method in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional bottom view of a golf iron head made by a conventional golf iron head manufacturing process;

FIG. 7 is cross sectional bottom view of the golf iron head in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of a manufacturing method of a golf iron head includes a pre-forming step S1, an engaging step S2, a pre-heating step S3 and a forming step S4.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the pre-forming step S1 further includes providing a head body and providing a strike plate.

A head body 10 is provided, is selectively made by a casting process or a forging process, and has a base 11, a rod portion 12, a plate recess 13 and at least one engaging recess 14. The rod portion 12 is formed and integrated with one side of the base 11. The plate recess 13 is formed in a front surface of the base 11 and has an inner wall. The at least one engaging recess 14 is formed in the inner wall of the plate recess 13. Preferably, the inner wall of the plate recess 13 has four wall surfaces around the plate recess 13, and each one of the wall surfaces is perpendicular to the bottom of the plate recess 13. Four engaging recesses 14 are implemented and respectively defined in the four wall surfaces of the plate recess 13. The engaging recesses 14 are inclined relative to the bottom of the plate recess 13 and formed triangular in cross section.

Furthermore, the engaging recesses 14 are formed by molding when the head body 10 is made by a casting process, or the engaging recesses 14 are formed by machine cutting when the head body 10 is made by a forging process.

The material of the head body 10 could be applied to a casting process or a forging process, which are selected from stainless steel, carbon steel, alloy steel such as titanium alloys, aluminum bronze alloys, manganese bronze alloys, non-ferrous alloys or the combinations of them. Preferably, the stainless steel of the head body 10 can be JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) No. SUS304, SUS303, SUS431, SUS15-5 or SUS17-4 stainless steel, or some other stainless steel alloys. The carbon steel of the head body 10 can be JIS No. 1020C, 1025C, 1035C or 1045C carbon steel. Or some other steel alloys with carbon contain as 4140 steel, 4130 steel or 4340 steel.

A strike plate 20 is provided to engage with the head body 10. The material of the strike plate 20 is different from that of the head body 10. Preferably, the strike plate 20 is made by a stamping press process or a forging process from metal sheets; the material of the strike plate 20 is selected from titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, bronze alloys, stainless steel and carbon steel or the combinations of them.

In the engaging step S2 and with reference to FIG. 3, the strike plate 20 is placed in the plate recess 13 and protrudes out of the front surface of the base 11. The shape of the strike plate 20 corresponds to the shape of the plate recess 13. The thickness of the strike plate 20 is higher than the depth of the plate recess 13. A height difference between a front surface of the strike plate 20 and the front surface of the head body 10 is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.

In the pre-heating step S3, the head body 10 and the strike plate 20 are preheated to a forging temperature according to their materials. The range of the forging temperature is from 500° C. to 1200° C.

In the forming step S4 and with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the head body 10 and the strike plate 20 are combined by a forging process. After the pre-heating process, the head body 10 and the strike plate 20 are placed in a forging mold. The forging pressure deforms the strike plate 20 to a strike plate 20A, whose shape fits correspondingly with the plate recess 13 and the engaging recesses 14. The forging pressure is controlled according to the material of the strike plate 20 and the temperature of the forging environment. A protrusion 21 is formed on the strike plate 20A by the forging pressure, and the protrusion 21 is engaged with the engaging recesses 14. After the forging process, the front surface of the strike plate 20 is flush with the front surface of the base 11 of the head body 10, and the strike plate 20A and the head body 10 are engaged integratedly and are formed as a complete iron head.

A surface treatment process can be applied to the iron head, and the iron head can be assembled with a golf rod in the rod portion 12 as a complete golf iron club.

The technique of the present invention adopts the pre-formed head body 10 to combine with the pre-formed strike plate 20. To integrally connect the strike plate with the head body 10 and to engage the protrusion 21 on the strike plate with the engaging recesses 14, the thickness of the strike plate 20 must be larger than the depth of the plate recess 13. Hence, the material volume of the strike plate 20 is calculated correspondingly to the volume of the plate recess 13 of the head body 10. The materials of the strike plate 20 can flow into the engaging recesses 14 and fill up the plate recess 13 by the forging pressure, and are formed integratedly and firmly with the head body 10 without clearances. Accordingly, the connection force between the head body 10 and the strike plate 20 is increased and is stronger than the conventional manufacturing method. Also, the hitting performance is better than that of the conventional iron club and noises upon hitting are eliminated.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A manufacturing method of a golf iron head comprising: a pre-forming step comprising providing a head body, wherein the head body has a base, a rod portion formed on one side of the base, a plate recess formed in a front surface of the base and having an inner wall in the plate recess, and at least one engaging recess formed in the inner wall of the plate recess; providing a strike plate, wherein a material of the strike plate is different from a material of the head body, the shape of the strike plate corresponds to the shape of the plate recess, and the thickness of the strike plate is larger than the depth of the plate recess; an engaging step comprising: placing the strike plate in the plate recess, wherein a front surface of the strike plate protrudes out of the front surface of the base; a pre-heating step comprising: heating the head body and the strike plate to a forging temperature according to the materials of the head body and the strike plate, wherein the range of the forging temperature is from 500-1200° C.; and a forming step comprising: combining the head body and the strike plate by a forging process, wherein the strike plate is deformed by the forging pressure to form a protrusion on the strike plate, and the protrusion is engaged with the at least one engaging recess, and the shape of the strike plate fits correspondingly with the plate recess and the at least one engaging recess, the front surface of the strike plate is flush with the front surface of the base of the head body, and the strike plate and the head body are engaged integratedly and formed as an iron head.
 2. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head body is made by a casting process or a forging process, and the strike plate is made by a stamping press process or a forging process from a metal sheet.
 3. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material of the head body is one selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium alloys, aluminum bronze alloys, manganese bronze alloys and the combinations of them; the material of the strike plate is one selected from the group consisting of titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, bronze alloys, stainless steel and carbon steel and the combinations of them.
 4. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stainless steel is one selected from the group consisting of JIS No. SUS304, SUS303, SUS431, SUS15-5 and SUS17-4 stainless steels; the carbon steel is one selected from the group consisting of JIS No. 1020C, 1025C, 1035C and 1045 carbon steels; the steel alloys with carbon is one selected from the group consisting of 4140 steel, 4130 steel and 4340 steel.
 5. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the pre-forming step, the plate recess is formed to have four wall surfaces around the plate recess and perpendicular to the bottom of the plate recess, each one of the wall surfaces is formed to have one engaging recess inclined relative to the bottom of the plate recess and formed triangular in cross section.
 6. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the pre-forming step, the plate recess is formed to have four wall surfaces around the plate recess and perpendicular to the bottom of the plate recess, each one of the wall surfaces is formed to have one engaging recess inclined relative to the bottom of the plate recess and formed triangular in cross section.
 7. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein in the pre-forming step, the plate recess is formed to have four wall surfaces around the plate recess and perpendicular to a bottom of the plate recess, each one of the wall surfaces is formed to have one engaging recess inclined relative to the bottom of the plate recess and formed triangular in cross section.
 8. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 4, wherein in the pre-forming step, the plate recess is formed to have four wall surfaces around the plate recess and perpendicular to a bottom of the plate recess, each one of the wall surfaces is formed to have one engaging recess inclined relative to the bottom of the plate recess and formed triangular in cross section.
 9. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 10. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 11. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 12. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 4, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 13. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 14. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 15. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm.
 16. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a height difference between the front surface of the strike plate and the front surface of the base of the head body is from 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm. 